When liberating or conquering a country with a hostile population, it is contrary to US interest to immediately create a democratic government. A quick transition to an independent, democratic government requires a friendly population, a tradition or understanding of democratic principles, a stable security force, and a core of competent politicians. In the absence of these, a US military-led transitional governing authority should set conditions for a slow, deliberate move to a fully sovereign democracy. This paper will compare and contrast countries that the US has controlled and the transition of that control to an independent democracy. Specific emphasis will be placed on the examples of Germany, Japan, the Philippines, the American post-Civil War South and Iraq, and those lessons will be applied to Afghanistan.
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